Cause there is no way to set functions that use the fopen_url_wrapper to use non-blocking mode, I wanted to force this in the source code. (yes, I know fsockopen() is there, but I don't have control over the applications of our clients, and there are a lot of them who use this functionality, so I can't simply set allow_url_fopen to 0/False).

I adjusted the following in ext/standard/http_fopen_wrapper.c, cause the php_hostconnect function appeared to have this functionality (also noted at the comments above). 

*socketd = php_hostconnect(resource->host, resource->port, SOCK_STREAM, 10);

Default, there's a 0 instead of a 10.

However, the timeout still is ignored when I do a remote include from a terrible slow server (it sents no response :)). I tried this with PHP 4.0.5 and 4.0.6. I also tried it with copying the source from main/network.c of 4.0.6, to main/network.c of 4.0.5. It build, but no luck in getting done what it should do IMHO :) I also tried to use the function that fsocken() appears to use, in ext/standard/fsock.c

Am I willing something that isn't possible or so ? :)))